Friday, March 18, 2011

We are all "Special" regardless of out abilities

The Special Olympics Kansas Basketball and Cheer leading Tournament sponsored by the Knights of Columbus kicked off Thursday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Ft. Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

People with "intellectual disabilities" are no more special then the rest of us and neither are people with other disabilities. We all have our own abilities and talents that make us all special. By using the word "Special" we are singling out a group of people, segregating them from the rest of society because they have a disability. Then they group the children and adults together and then people refer to them all as "kids". No. most of them are adults, not children who participate in Special Olympics.

Our communities should be able to offer what Special Olympics claims. They should provide programs in an integrated setting instead of the continuous segregation that continues to limit their abilities to share their gifts, skills and develop friendships. Free our People!